German sales fall 8% as diesel share declines

Most larger brands saw sales fall with the exception of Fiat, Dacia, Toyota and Seat.

Registrations were 290,697 in a month that contained three fewer working days than April 2016, according to data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). Adjusted for the fewer days, car sales would have risen 7 percent, an industry source told Reuters.

The diesel share of the overall market shrank to 41 percent, the KBA said, noting that share for gasoline-powered cars was flat at 55.9 percent while electric vehicles posted strong gains from low base levels.

Stuttgart, home to premium carmakers Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, has been discussing banning diesel cars from the city center, while ministers of Germany's regional governments are calling for older cars to be fitted with better emission controls.

"The market share of diesel cars will probably decline further in the coming months and years because the discussion about diesel vehicles and driving bans won't stop," Peter Fuss, a senior partner and automotive specialist in Ernst & Young's German practice, said on Wednesday.